Virtual Prototype of Clothing in Academic Environment

Validation through prototypes is of fundamental importance in the new products development process. This procedure, common in industry, allows to speed processes, validating design, checking errors, identifying changes and observing new potential solutions. Also in academic environment, prototyping is used in activities related to the teaching of clothing pattern design. This procedure allows student to materialize ideas, providing tangible support for discussion, facilitating dialogue with teacher and visualizing the improvements throughout the process. The use of 3D CAD systems as prototyping tools is widely used in professional and academic environment. This promotes support for the development of engineering projects, namely mechanical engineering and in some segments in product design, such as furniture, electronics and others. The use of 3D CAD tools in apparel design has shown growth, but still resilient. Being the simulation of textile structures and virtual prototyping in 3D objects its main applications in this sector. However, 3D CAD systems present a high potential for the practice of design and fashion teaching. This paper documents the use of a virtual prototyping experience, in the development and evaluation, of the pattern design process of a functional garment, in an academic environment, referring the main benefits and disadvantages identified during the study, from the perspectives of student and teacher, relating them to the development and validation of traditional pattern-making methods.